Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has responded to the UN secretary general’s remarks on the 11th parliamentary election in Bangladesh, saying that there is no perfect election.
At a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Jan 18, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the 11th parliamentary election in Bangladesh was ‘not perfect’, reports bdnews24.com.
Quader, who is also the road transport and bridges minister, responded to UN chief’s remarks on the election at his office on Sunday.
“The authorities of UN are saying that, the election was not perfect. But I wonder, what election in the world is perfect? Who can say that their election is totally perfect?” Quader said.
The BNP, the prime rival of the ruling Awami League, alleged the government had won the 11th parliamentary election on Dec 30 by vote rigging.
The Awami League, which has formed the government for a third consecutive term after the election, denied all allegations from rival parties. The leaders of the Awami League also claimed that the BNP is spreading propaganda to raise questions about the polls.
Calling for meaningful dialogue among the political parties in Bangladesh, Guterres also said that the UN did not have the mandate to investigate alleged election irregularities.
Responding to a question over the UN chief’s call for dialogue, Quader said that political parties in all democratic countries should continue the practise of talks.
“Talks were held before the election, and more will be held if needed. But the need is not obvious right now,” Quader said.
Before the national election, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina met with the other political parties. After the talks the BNP decided to run in the Dec 30 polls following its decision to boycott the polls in 2014.
After the election, Quader had said that the government would call all political parties to hold talks. Later he said that the heads of the political parties would be invited to the Ganabhaban.